obtain*'; and we know that Paul both made a vow hmiself ^ and united with others in services to which by a voluntary engagement they had bound them- selves ^
The vow of Jephthah has engaged the attention of learned men in all ages : but they are by no means agreed as to the import of it. We propose,
I. To explain his vow —
It must be confessed, that the Jewish writers in general, together with their great historian Josephus, were of opinion, that Jephthah offered his daughter to the Lord as a burnt-offering. Of the same opinion also were the generality of writers in the early ages of the Christian Church. Multitudes also of the most approved authors amongst the moderns take the same side of the question. But we are constrained to differ from them; and the more attentively we have weighed their arguments, the more fully are we persuaded that Jephthah did not offer up his daughter as a burnt- offering, but only devoted her to the service, the exclusive service, of the Lord.
In confirmation of this opinion, we would call your attention to the particular circumstances of the vow :
1 . The making of it — [In opposition to the idea of his offering her up for a burnt-offering, we say, that No pious man tvould have made such a vow. Jephthah was undoubtedly a pious man, as his whole history declares : for at his first acceding to the pro- posals of his countrymen to stand forth for their deliverance, he laid the matter before the Lord^: and his vow was ex- pressive of his affiance alone in God for success : besides which, he is celebrated by St. Paul as one of those eminent men who obtained a good report through their faith ^. Moreover, he was at this time under the influence of the Spirit of God'^. Now can we suppose that such a man, under such influence, should deliberately vow to God that he would commit murder ? that he would murder the first person who should come forth to congratulate him, whether it might be man, woman, or child, yea even if it should be his own, his only daughter ? or, if a dog or other unclean animal should come forth, he wovild offer it up for a burnt-offering ? Could he conceive that this would
"^ Isai. xix. 21. ^ Acts xviii. 18. ^ Acts xxi. 23, 24.
f ver. 11. b' Heb. xi. 32. ^ vcr. '29.
272.1 jephthah's vow. 5o
be pleasing to the Deity, and that such a vow as this would be likely to procure success ? Had not the law said, " Thou shalt not kill'?" and had not God expressly forbidden his people to imitate the heathen in offering humayi sacrifices''? Had not the law prescribed, that if a man should unintentionally kill his slave, he should be punished'? and could he imagine that the law permitted him intentionally and deliherately to kill his own daughter? It may be said, that the Spirit ordered him to offer up this sacrifice, just as God commanded Abraham to offer up his son Isaac : but I ask, Where ip any such thing expressed in this history ? and why, if the Sprit of God had ordered a human sacrifice to be made, and he under the influ- ence of the Spirit had vowed to offer one, whence came the rending of his garment, and all his vehement lamentation, upon finding that his daughter was the appointed victim ? If he had been called to Abraham's trial, we may well suppose that God would have given to him the faith of Abraham ; or at least, that, if he had so greatly failed in this duty, he would not have been so highly commended as an example of faith. But, we say again, that there is not the smallest intimation that the Spirit of God did give any such order to him : nor can we conceive that if, for the trial of his faith, God had given it, he would have ever suffered it to be carried into execution ; but would rather have interposed to prevent it, as he did in the case of Isaac.